Taliban, Afghan civil society begin Oslo talks
OSLO: A Taliban delegation led by Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday began talks focused on human rights with Afghan civil society members ahead of their highly anticipated meetings with western officials in Oslo. The delegation dedicated the first day of their three-day visit to talks with women’s rights activists and human rights […]
Israel demolishes Palestinian home in east Jerusalem
JERUSALEM: Israeli police demolished the home of a Palestinian family and arrested at least 18 people as they carried out a controversial eviction order in the sensitive east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah early on Wednesday. The looming eviction of other families from Sheikh Jarrah in May last year partly fuelled an 11-day war between […]
More than a dozen dead in coalition strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa following attack in UAE
An air strike killed about 14 people in a building in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, residents said on Tuesday, during strikes across the city launched by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi group. The alliance strikes on Houthi-held Sanaa followed an attack claimed by the Iran-aligned Houthis on Monday on coalition partner the United Arab Emirates, […]
US imposes sanctions on North Koreans, Russian after missile tests
WASHINGTON: The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on six North Koreans, one Russian and a Russian firm it said were responsible for procuring goods from Russia and China for North Korea’s weapons programmes, an action that follows a series of North Korean missile launches, including two since last week. The US Treasury Department said […]
Half of Europe on track to catch Omicron, says WHO
COPENHAGEN: More than half of people in Europe are projected to catch Omicron by March, the WHO said on Tuesday, as millions in China locked down again exactly two years after Beijing reported the first Covid-19 death. The highly-transmissible variant has ripped through countries at breakneck pace, forcing governments to impose fresh measures and scramble […]
US, Russia hold talks amid tensions linked to Ukraine
GENEVA: Senior US and Russian officials launched special talks on Monday aimed at defusing tensions over a Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine, part of a flurry of diplomatic activity in Europe this week. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and his delegation arrived under Swiss police escort at the US diplomatic mission […]
Afghans need emergency humanitarian aid without ‘political bias’: Taliban
The Taliban appealed on Friday for emergency humanitarian aid without “political bias”, saying recent snow and flooding had worsened the plight of the Afghan people. Since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in mid-August, the country has plunged into financial chaos, with inflation and unemployment surging. Billions of dollars of the country’s assets have been […]
North Korea claims testing hypersonic missile
SEOUL: North Korea has successfully tested a hypersonic missile, state media reported on Thursday, in the first major weapons test by the nuclear-armed nation this year. This was the second reported test of what Pyongyang claimed were hypersonic gliding missiles, as it pursues the sophisticated technology despite international sanctions and condemnation. Hypersonic missiles move far […]
Kazakh president’s home set ablaze as protests escalate
MOSCOW: Protesters in Kazakhstan’s largest city stormed the presidential residence and the mayor’s office on Wednesday and set both buildings on fire, according to new reports, as demonstrations sparked by a rise in fuel prices in the Central Asian nation escalated sharply. Police fired on some protesters at the presidential palace before fleeing. They have […]
Sudan’s premier resigns amid anti-military demonstrations
KHARTOUM: Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok said on Sunday he was resigning, less than two months after being reinstated as part of a political agreement with the military. In a televised speech, he said a roundtable discussion was needed to come to a new agreement for Sudan’s transition to democracy. The announcement came in the […]
